Hi Mike, I don't have any experience with stains but I don't *think* they would have any bearing on it. Varnish should hold up fine for immersion up to at least a week at a time....never had any problem with my Thistle rudder which was varnished and it spent over a week immersed before with no ill effects. If you are concerned, you might coat it with epoxy before varnishing it...the epoxy protecting the rudder and the varnish protecting the epoxy. (epoxy degrades in UV) Tod Mills M17 #408 BuscaBrisas http://www.bright.net/~htmills -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+htmills=bright.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+htmills=bright.net@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Michael Huffine Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 10:15 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Rudder Refinishing Alright, I have the rudder and tiller on my M17 sanded down to bare wood. Have read the threads on refinishing, but have not seen anyone talk about using stain and varnish to any extent. Will a stain and two or three coats of varnish survive below the waterline on a slipped M17 that has the rudder placed in the cabin when not sailing? I see a lot of warnings on various varnishs about "not for use below the waterline." Does this mean any time or for extended exposure to water? Any inputs on varnish and stain would be helpful. Thanks! Mike Huffine _________________________________________________________________ Dream of owning a home? Find out how in the First-time Home Buying Guide. http://special.msn.com/home/firsthome.armx _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats